Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates 鈥楩auna (6): Snakes鈥� of the study on the Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (in English) which represents a commentary on the Amarakosha of Amarasimha. These ancient texts belong the Kosha or 鈥渓exicography鈥� category of Sanskrit literature which deals with the analysis and meaning of technical words from a variety of subjects, such as cosmology, anatomy, medicine, hygiene. The Amarakosa itself is one of the earliest of such text, dating from the 6th century A.D., while the Amarakoshodghatana is the earliest known commentary on that work.
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Fauna (6): Snakes
Serpents are an interesting group of reptilia. They vary in size, colour and habitat. They are mostly terrestrial but can thrive in acquous medium. Though they do not have adaptations like fins, they live on land and swim in water. They are both poisonous and non-poisonous. Cobra is indigenous to India and is a part of Hindu mythology of yore. Hence 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 has dedicated a separate varga viz., Bhogi varga for snakes. There are references to V 膩suki and 膧di艣e峁, the mythological snakes of great importance while delineating the 鈥�狈腻驳补蝉鈥�.
(a) Gonasa (I. 7. 4, p. 57-8)鈥�
[Kind of snake:]
According to 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍, the word gonasa etymologically means a serpent that has the head (hood) resembling that of a cow.Explaining grammatically he quotes the 笔腻峁噄苍颈 蝉奴迟谤补:
膩帽 苍腻蝉颈办腻y膩岣� sa峁僯帽膩y膩峁� 苍补蝉补峁� 肠腻蝉迟丑奴濒腻迟 (笔腻.5/4/118)
According to which the 苍腻蝉颈办腻 艣补产诲补 at the end of a 产补丑耻惫谤墨丑颈 compound is replaced by 鈥�nas鈥� and 鈥�ac鈥� pratyaya is suffixed to the compound word. 骋辞苍腻蝉补 is also found in usage in 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补's 痴颈诲诲丑补艣腻濒补产丑补帽箩颈办腻 (I. 3)鈥�
驳辞苍腻蝉腻测补 niyojit膩gadaraj膩岣� |
He further adds the word candra as denoting this variety of snake.
(b) Ajagara (I. 7. 5, p. 58)鈥�
[Python:]
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 derives the word to mean that which feeds on a goat or that which always has the antidote or poison鈥�
膩j膩峁� giratyajagara岣� 膩jo nityo garo'sya v膩 |
He also adds acala and 肠补办谤补尘补峁囜笉补濒墨 to this category.
(c) Non-Poisonous Snakes:
(i) Alagarda (I. 7. 5, p. 58)鈥�
[A water snake:]
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 explains that this kind of snake is non-poisonous and hence harmless even when it bites; it is also called aligarda by some, as it makes a noise like the bee鈥�
na lagannardayati nivir峁tv膩t 膩l墨va gardatyalirgada ityeke |
(ii) 搁腻箩颈濒补 (I. 7. 5, p. 58)鈥�
[Amphisbaena:]
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 says that this is a snake belonging to the non-poisonous category鈥�
nirvi峁 dvimukho'hi岣� |
Substantiating this, he quotes from 搁补驳丑耻惫补峁兣沘 (11. 27) of 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补鈥�
lak峁am ca鈥�[1]
办颈峁� mahoragavisarpi vikramo r膩jile峁 驳补谤耻岣峚岣� pravartate |
搁腻尘补 while protecting the sacrifice of 痴颈艣惫腻尘颈迟谤补, aims his arrows only at 惭腻谤墨肠补 and 厂耻产腻丑耻 and not others. The poet compares this to 骋补谤耻岣峚 attacking only the venomous snakes and not the nonpoisonous water snakes.
In total, 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 gives 33 synonyms for a snake to which 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 adds, 办耻尘产丑墨苍腻蝉补岣�, 办补帽肠耻办墨 and 濒别濒颈丑腻苍补.